It’s funny that a loss against Florida inspired my last honest discussion. Why does losing to the Panthers make the Leafs collective nation lose our minds? Is it the team the Leafs are against? I believe it’s the team the Leafs are.

I have been a fan for a while. I remember watching the Leafs play and wondering if they will ever get good. Then we all got to watch them get good so fast it almost seems like a dream. Now they are a good team, one of the best in the league. At least we think they are, we hope they are.

I feel like that is the root of the problem, as with much of the human experience, fear. Leafs fans are afraid of getting hurt again. We are afraid of believing in a group of young men that do not deserve our faith. We have earned our fear. We have paid for it with years and years of unrequited love. I know that if this team falters and fails to live up to its potential I will still comeback for more. I just really don’t need any more hockey heartache. I just really want to love a team that loves me back and shows that love by winning, not in January but when it matters.

So how does that tie in with the team and their struggles? It’s as simple as it is cruel. Leafs fans are thoroughly battered and our hearts are hardened. We can believe in your brilliance but we won’t trust in it until you prove it works.

Be the team that heals our poor broken hearts. Be the team we all need you to be.

I B Leaf